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Yad Vashem to open first overseas education centers in Germany

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum, will open its first overseas educational centers in Germany, with locations planned for Munich and Leipzig.
  • The initiative aims to preserve Holocaust truths and educate future generations, especially as witnesses to the events are diminishing.
  • German officials see the centers as a way to combat antisemitism and increase knowledge of the Shoah among young people.

For the first time in its 73-year history, Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum, is establishing educational centers outside the Jewish state. The institution announced Thursday that the first centers will be in Germany: one in Munich, and a subsidiary in Leipzig.

sends a strong signal in support of a culture of remembrance, education and the protection of Jewish life.

— Rabbi Zsolt BallaState Rabbi of Saxony, commenting on the decision to open an extension in Leipzig.

The decision to open an extension in Leipzig "sends a strong signal in support of a culture of remembrance, education and the protection of Jewish life," said Rabbi Zsolt Balla, State Rabbi of Saxony. The Conference of European Rabbis, which moved to Munich in 2023, expressed anticipation for collaboration with the new center.

Working together with our German partners, this center will help ensure that the truth of the Holocaust is preserved and passed on to future generations.

— Dani DayanYad Vashem Chairman, on the significance of the new centers.

"Working together with our German partners, this center will help ensure that the truth of the Holocaust is preserved and passed on to future generations," stated Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan. Wenzel Michalski, chair of the Berlin-based Friends of Yad Vashem, noted the urgency, "We're coming to an era where the witnesses are dying." He added that in a world without survivors, "one needs new ways to tell the story."

We're coming to an era where the witnesses are dying.

— Wenzel MichalskiChair of the Berlin-based Friends of Yad Vashem, emphasizing the need for new educational methods.

German Education Minister Karen Prien highlighted that a key goal of the centers is to help "combat antisemitism across Germany and Europe," noting that many young people in the country "still know too little about the Shoah."

In a world without Holocaust survivors, one needs new ways to tell the story.

— Wenzel MichalskiChair of the Berlin-based Friends of Yad Vashem, explaining the mission of the new centers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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